Shaz&Dee

Hi All,

After 4 years in Australia we've decided to up sticks and try something new. We have been looking at Spain and trying to decide which areas would suit our family, 3 kids aged 9,12 & 14. We've only been to the usual tourist hotspots before and have never visited the mainland.

If any of you could give me some feedback it would be greatly appreciated. This is a list of what we would like in an area:

Village community with local shops/market.
Near schools (Primary & Secondary)
About 10-15 mins from coast, fishing villages etc.
Bigger town not too far away, 30 mins max.
Nice climate most of the year.

Am I pushing it now lol?
We like our peace & quiet but also want to have civilization close at hand. Our daughter is into horse riding and the sons, their fishing. I'm a bit worried about them adapting to the language as well

Also if anyone knows about the Almeria area I'd like to hear your opinions.

Cheers everyone.

fionamw

Oh dear... you might find many of the responses are a bit negative, but our mods are telling us to put the happy face on so I'll be the first...
Welcome to Spain forum
There are many places you'd find what you're looking for, however that depends on what you define as 'nice' climate because finding true fishing villages 30 mins from a large town means you're unlikely to be near the bigger costas (you say you've only visited tourist hotspots but not the mainland) & the bigger costas tend to be the ones with the better climates - but of course everything's relative!
Introducing your kids to state schools may be ok for the youngest but a bit of a struggle for the two older so you'll have to look at the prospects of international schools - not to mention the cost. Almeria you could easily find what you want however inland tends as a generalisation to be a bit barren and arid.
Now the questions: Do you have work already lined up? Do you speak fluent Spanish? Do you have 18months or 2 years' housing & living expenses saved up? If the answer to any of these is no, do something about it! If the answer to more than one is no, think carefully, and if all three.....
Spain's in as big if not bigger a recession than many places and unemployment rates mean native Spanish & fluent Spanish speakers are the only ones seriously likely to have much chance of (legit, contract, contribution paying) work. If you don't find it and quickly then your savings will run down sharpish. If you don't speak fluent or good Spanish, you'll struggle to find it. Recognise the Catch 22?
Anyhow, don't take my word for any of it! Browse the forum there've been countless threads about this or similar questions in the past 3-6months.
Above all, put your sensible hat on.
Best of luck

Dxf

Hi

There is a current thread "50,000 people applied for the 300 available jobs at IKEA in Jerez (cadiz province).

This gives a clue about employment here CURRENTLY. Whn will it change? anyones guess - currently 2011 is being mentioned, but I would tink "Baby Boomers" born just after the war will retire in 2013 (1948 + 65) may be more accurate. But it is a guess.

I suggest it may be better for your children to finish their education before moving to Spain. Ruining your own life is your choice, ruining your childrens prospects is another.

Davexf

Mitzyboy

This doesnt need further comment or reply but theres no way anyones being asked to put a happy face on things, especially when things aint particularly fine in Spain at the moment. My request was that new posters not be treated with suspicion all the time, not lied to!

To the OP, trouble is as with requests like this in the past, that you will become very confused because everyone will tell you about their particular area - the best way is to come over here and look, although I realise it isnt that easy from where you are. Renting a property primarily will allow you time ultimately to check out areas once you are here

With that in mind , in this area Pego or Pedregeur are within your remit in the Northern Costa Blanca. Within 20 mins you can be at Blue Flag beaches and there are a selection of National Parks nearby. Alicante or Valencia airports are about an hour away and the larger town of Oliva with its large number of shops and weekly large market is nearby. Moving inland there is some wonderful scenery.

On the downside, as has already been pointed out, unemployment is rife here at the moment and if you are needing to work then it may be a struggle, especially if you dont speak Spanish. In some areas it seems the cost of living is now on a par with the UK, however around here we still find we are able to live cheaper than in the UK.

Good luck

warren d

Shaz&Dee if you are used to Australian prices I think you might be quite shocked at Spanish prices. My missus is Australian and is always comparing the prices. The differences can be quite shocking.

Rotor

If you need to work to live stay in Aussie, its that simple as there`s nothing here unless you have business experience and plenty of capital, negative but true.

steviedeluxe

Depends on what you mean by "nice climate". Some of us are no longer fans of 40C summers, and would prefer the milder climate of the north coast. However, although contrary to what some would say, it doesn't always rain there, it has to be said that it's not Mediterranean and you can often have plenty of clouds on the horizon! The plus side is you get loads of unspoilt beaches, gorgeous mountain scenery, and (allegedly) very little crime. Also, you'll be miles away from any native English speakers - whether that's a plus or a negative point is up to you. As for work - as always the main work opportunities are going to be in Madrid or Barcelona - but you'll have to investigate this yourself. Try searching on infojobs.net or monster.es using the search word "English" or "ingles". As for bad news in the economy here's an anecdote that goes totally against all the evidence. My German friends who rent out a holiday home in Comillas, Cantabria (north coast) have had an amazingly good year for bookings by British people. Previously they relied on Spanish and German visitors, but they were occupied for much of this summer by British visitors. I put this down to the fact that the British are starting to become more aware of the north coast, rather than British holiday visits to Spain are increasing. In fact the official figures show the numbers have declined a lot this to Spain - the only good news was that the numbers of French visitors increased.
Anyway good luck in your research.

sabarda

If you are worried about your family getting adapted to the language, don't go to Catalonia (Barcelona...) as they'll have to deal with 2 languages and the only one used at school is Catalan and not Spanish.

chrisfromusa

I would say, stay in Australian and let your kids finish their education in English. it sounds like they will have a rough time integrating into the Spanish curriculum if you don't want to pay for an international school. That being said, your only options are the major cities (Madrid, Valencia, Málaga to name a few where many foreigners live), and to stay in Australia. Food for thought, is it you that wants to move for your reasons, or you're doing it for the kids? Think about how a totally foreign environment will impact them, then make your decision.

Shaz&Dee

Thankyou for all your honest an informative replies.

We plan to go back home to N.I. for at least 6 months first so we can take stock and sort other things out before we make another move so maybe in that time we can brush up on our Spanish! In that time we will travel to Spain for a look about and decide on where we could live etc.

We have had good and bad times in Aus and I must admit none of us, including the kids, are not truly happy here. It has took a long time to make the decision about returning home but I feel that now we have made it, it seems to have given us a lift. Aus has taught us alot about how we want to spend our future together as a family.

We will have an income to cover a rental in Spain and I'm going to look into these international schools and check out their fees etc. I think thats the best way to go with the kids as I don't want them struggling.

By nice climate I mean mid-high 20's, the 40 degree heat is just over the top! I get 3rd degree burns just hanging out my washing lol.

But you all have gave me food for thought and I thank you.

missile

This is the cheapest areas to rent / buy property on the costas. It is very hot, dry and quite barren in land, this is where star wars and spagetti westerns were filmed.

jdr

There used to be a lot of dodgy land and property for sale out there about ten years ago when we were looking to invest there.
Allegedly you could buy a big plot, plant a quota of olives and build, then worry about a licence.

PS it is hot and desolete there, but they had snow on the beach last winter lol.

Shaz&Dee

I've looked up the international school fees and they are really expensive The only thing I can think of at the minute is to hire a tutor whilst back in Ireland to help the kids (and us) before we make the move. Any other suggestions would be appreciated, especially from those who have experienced the school/kids dilema.

Dry and barren land is what we're used to as we practically live in the bush at the min

Cheers guys

fionamw

There are those who maintain that kids will survive whatever age you put them anywhere, but quite a few who've posted in this forum over time say that the cut-off date for success with Spanish is somewhere around 10ish, anything older & they'll not only have to contend with learning the language but be up against harder work, homework & rapidly approaching exams. Not to forget that Spanish teaching methods even within maths, & curriculum, varies from UK (don't know about Oz).
My now 7yo started Spanish school at 4+ & within months was happily chatting away, now 3 years down the line the spanish kids at his new school (and the parents!) say he sounds just like them. I don't suppose his vocabulary will ever quite match up because there isn't Spanish in the home, but he'll be fluent if never 100% bilingual. Spanish tv would help (in our case we can't get terrestrial & I haven't yet got Spanish satellite). That's why international school seems your best, albeit expensive, option unless you've got time to really cram them with Spanish lessons including reading & writing. And even then I don't know if it'd be enough. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along to say so or otherwise!

Shaz&Dee

Thanks for that F.

I know my kids are now in the bracket where it's going to be harder for them to learn the lingo, my 9 & 12 yr old seem to have picked up Italian pretty well at school here so you never know!

I suppose it would be an experience for us all, the kids will probably end up teaching us

We're definately going to do a few reccies before we decide on anything.

Thanks again guys for your replies.